Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaheen Taylor.
Hi Shaheen, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am originally from the Washington D.C. area but I moved here to Dallas in December 2015. At that time, I was working for Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC. With a background in pharmacy, I managed the hospital’s drug savings program which saved the organization millions of dollars each year by serving uninsured or under-insured pediatric patients.
In March 2016, I was in somewhat of a bad car accident. Although I received physical therapy and chiropractic care for months, it was still not enough, and with a background in pharmacy, I refused to succumb to pain medication. It was then that I sought out massage therapy as an alternative.
During this time, there was also a shift in management and teleworking for a hospital so far away was no longer an option. After my position was changed to an “as needed” employee and I was only allowed a maximum of 20 hours per week, I had a decrease in pay rate, lost my benefits, and was training my replacement. My stress level was at an all-time high as I had just purchased a brand new home.
I continued to get my massages as now they were helping to not just manage the physical pain but also the stress. I would lie on the table thinking this has to be the most relaxing job anyone could have as a massage therapist. I began asking the therapist questions about the profession and local massage schools since clearly my job was coming to an end and I needed a plan B. She mentioned about three different massage schools, one of them being Parker University which she said was the most expensive but the best. Needless to say, I did not look at any other school. If this was going to be my next career, I wanted to attend the best school.
I started the massage program at Parker University in May 2017. Less than two weeks in the program, my 99 year old grandmother, whom I was very close to passed away. Grief coupled with a major loss of income, and starting a new program was very challenging. Not to mention I was a single mom of a 13 year old daughter at the time.
Fast forward, I graduated from massage school in December 2017 at the top of my class. There were times when I wanted to give up but I knew I could not quit. I continued after receiving my certificate and received an Associate’s degree in Massage Therapy in April 2018. At last, I had found my calling; to heal people with my touch.
My first job out of school in January 2018 was at Hand & Stone, a retail spa chain. I knew it was just to landing spot to have income while I figured out my next move, get caught up on bills, and return to some sort of normalcy. I was only there for about six months before getting on with Soothe and Zeel. I had also picked up a handful of mobile clients and occasionally worked for a chiropractor and acupuncturist. I hustled!!
It did not take long to get tired of driving all over the DFW to clients. By September 2018, I was looking for a brick and mortar to land. One day as I was looking for a massage therapist close by in Duncanville, I found a guy on Groupon about 15 minutes from my house. He was in a Victorian style building that had several suites on the upper level and just a couple of larger suites on the lower level. After my session with him, I asked him how was it being in that building and he said he had no issues. I then told him I was a new massage therapist looking for a place to land. He said there were a couple of empty suites in the building and that I should contact the property manager and so I did. I signed a lease within a week or so using literally my last $1000 I had in my savings account.
So here I was with a new suite and not one client. I was running totally on faith! I read through recommendations in Facebook groups for massage therapists on how to draw clients in and ultimately Groupon worked best for me. I built about 80% of my practice using Groupon. Don’t get me wrong, it has it’s pros and cons but through trial and error I made it work to build a steady business.
Within one year of being in a single room suite, I knew that I wanted to expand. I found out one of the larger suites on the lower level was empty so I asked the property manager about it. She was great to work with and she even talked the owner down to lowering the rent by $100 a month if I took the suite. My rent more than doubled but I had a plan. I reached out to a former classmate who was also a licensed esthetician and invited her to join me since I now had four rooms. She agreed. I then placed an ad for the other two rooms to rent and had another therapist join me. While I never found a renter for the fourth room, I was still able afford the rent having the other two ladies. The vibe was good and we got along well. We developed our own chemistry.
As my business grew and additional opportunities were presented, I could no longer handle the workload and needed to hire additional therapists. At one point I had 4-5 therapists working for me and I was able to cut my hours back. This allowed me to take on a position teaching as well as seasonal work with the Dallas Cowboys through the Sports Recovery Program Parker University secured with the team. I am currently in my third season and the opportunity and experience working on professional athletes has been great.
During the spring of 2025, I decided that I would take off for the whole summer. I was working on a program to become a certified Christian life coach, taking care of familial responsibilities, and just wanting to rest as I prepared to enter my new season. I needed to figure out where I wanted my business to go and that time off allowed me to do just that.
Upon returning to work at the beginning of September, I let my client and therapists know that I ultimately decided to close my business at the end of the month. It was clear that God is calling me to my. next level, for me to rebrand and reboot. Even though I no longer have a suite, I do have a few clients that I travel to as well as the Cowboys gig and occasional teaching.
My goal is to bring everything that I am working towards full circle. As I continue to take care of my personal goals, new ideas are constantly forming for my next season. I am excited to see it all unfold!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been rough off and on, from the seasonal slow downs in business to the pandemic in 2020 to changes in our economy. As a business owner, there is no paid time that that you accumulate or company paid health insurance or any other corporate benefit. There’s always challenges when you have people working for you as well, whether it’s scheduling issues, personal issues, or what have you.
At the end of the day, I still would not trade entrepreneurship for the world and have to go back to punching a clock. What I enjoy most is the autonomy in my life. But I also enjoy making a difference and providing clients with a different experience than what they’re used to in the retail setting. My clients were never treated as if they were just another body on the tables of myself or the therapists who worked for me. We all had a true passion for healing, not just play the numbers game.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My business provides not just relaxation massages but focuses on pain management and issues with the tissues (LOL). Because I have a background in pharmacy, my goal is to provide as best I can within my scope of practice real change in clients and how they feel from the first session to the last session. Again, a client is NEVER just another body on my table.
I am most proud of living up to my business name, Healing Hands. My clients always say “she really does have healing hands” or “the name speaks for itself.”
Since closing the physical doors of my massage studio, I am just providing mobile services at this time. This includes not just traditional massage therapy sessions but also servicing clients on a corporate level. I have a couple of companies where I provide office massages for and once a month I am at Methodist Hospital in Dallas for their Monday Night Mammo where the breast center provides mammograms, a quick massage, and light refreshments for the ladies. I always massage should not be looked at as a treat to oneself but a major part of your wellness routine.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Stay tuned as I, Shaheen Taylor bring to you a new option for Wellness!!
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